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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26397937">Karasuno's Beloved Bean</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account'>orphan_account</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Everyone Loves Hinata Shouyou, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Friendship, Happy Ending, Hinata Shouyou Protection Squad, Hinata Shouyou is Sunshine, Injured Hinata Shouyou, Karasuno, Karasuno Family, Light Angst, M/M, Oblivious Hinata Shouyou, Protective Karasuno Volleyball Club, Team Dad Sawamura Daichi, Team Mom Sugawara Koushi, Team Parents Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi, Volleyball Dorks &amp; Nerds, minor cussing</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 10:41:09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>10,519</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26397937</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Watch as Hinata Shouyou weaves his way into the other teams' hearts; unintentionally.  His sunshine smiles and fluffy demeanor is enough to get anybody weak in the knees.  Nobody can resist his charm, not even his opponents.  But he's still an idiot, so he's gonna need a little help sometimes. Or all the time.</p>
<p>Featuring an overprotective family of volleyball players that could spike you out of earth's orbit.</p>
<p>------------------</p>
<p>Or a series of fluffy oneshots where our tangerine makes friends with every other team as Karasuno loses their sanity.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hinata Shouyou &amp; Everyone, Hinata Shouyou &amp; Kageyama Tobio, Hinata Shouyou &amp; Kozume Kenma, Hinata Shouyou &amp; Nishinoya Yuu, Hinata Shouyou &amp; Sugawara Koushi, Hinata Shouyou &amp; Tsukishima Kei, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>64</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>814</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Haikyuu Stories</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Little Crow</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>While coming back from the bathroom, Hinata manages to get lost and come face to face with danger.  Or, well, a fist.  </p><p>Needless to say, Karasuno's pissed.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Hinata! Boke, hit it!" Kageyama yelled out as he set the ball towards his direction. In one fluid motion, Hinata leaped into the air, spiking the ball down and ending the match. The audience cheered as Karasuno was declared the victor of the match. The opposing team, Nekoma, groaned in defeat as they trudged forwards to the net. "Heyy, Kenma!" Hinata called out to the setter. Kenma turned to face him with a blank expression as he continued on, "Great game! Your sets were <em>awesome!</em>  They were like <em>woosh!</em> and <em>SHWOOM!"</em> </p>
<p>He fired off one of his deadly sunshine smiles, making Kenma flinch a bit before recomposing himself.  God, even Kenma was affected by him.  "Yeah, you were cool too.  I'll look forward to our next match."  The Nekoma setter replied, wandering off with his team.  </p>
<p>Hinata continued to bounce around with a smile before stopping mid jump and clutching his stomach.  He knew this would come sooner or later, as it always does, so he simply groaned in disappointment before staggering up to Suga.  Suga, who was talking to Daichi and Tanaka, paused his conversation to glance at Hinata with a worried expression.  "Are you okay, Hinata?  What's wrong?"  With this, the other two also looked over to see the issue.</p>
<p>"Oh, yeah, I'm fine, I just need to use the bathroom.  I just wanted to make sure you knew."  Hinata explained, meeting the upperclassman's gazes with a bright smile that was sadly interrupted by stomach pains.  </p>
<p>"That's fine, we'll wait for you outside at the bus.  Don't take too long!"  Suga called out to him as the orange-haired blocker nodded and walked off to the bathroom.  Did he have any idea where the bathroom was?  Pfft, are you serious?  Of <em>course </em>not!  It was honestly just a guess by now.</p>
<p>Daichi turned to Suga, concern etched on his face.  "Are you sure we should be letting him wander off by himself?  He's a little small compared to everybody else here."  </p>
<p>Suga tensed a little but turned to face the doorway Hinata had just exited from.  "If he takes too long, we'll go looking for him, but I think he can hold his own on a bathroom trip."  With that, they rounded up the team and headed off toward the bus.</p>
<p>Once arriving at the bus, the captain did a head-count of each player.  He sighed in relief, only missing Hinata, and for once they knew where he is!  They stood outside of the bus, awaiting the return of their tangerine friend.</p>
<p>"So...where <em>did</em> Hinata go?"  Ennoshita asked, scanning the Karasuno crowd.  At this, many other players piped up, also searching the area for him.</p>
<p>"He went to the bathroom."  Daichi replied with a tone that sat somewhere between boredom and annoyance.  His bathroom trips were getting quite repetitive.</p>
<p>The other players internally groaned, nodding.  They should be expecting this kind of thing by now.  Bathroom trips are just Hinata's thing.  A staple of his presence, if you will.  Of course the real staple was his personality, but the bathroom visits definitely factored in somewhere.</p>
<p>"Well, when's he coming back?  I want to get a move on things, those meat buns aren't going to wait forever!"  Noya whined, stretching out.</p>
<p>"We'll wait here for a bit until he comes back.  If he doesn't come back in time, we'll search for him in the building."  Suga said with a smile.  <em>Mothers, am I right?</em>  He certainly had a bias on Hinata.  He was practically Suga and Daichi's own child at this point.</p>
<p>Karasuno sighed.  This may take a while.</p><hr/>
<p>After finishing up his...<em>business</em> in the bathroom, Hinata trotted out feeling much better than he had before. It was quite usual for the sunshine child to have quick bounce backs.  He always liked being positive, because being positive meant less worries.  It lightened the mood around him and made him feel better.  Hinata, however, had no idea of the effects of his actions toward other people.</p>
<p>In other words, he wasn't aware his smiles and cheery attitude made everybody else weak in the knees.  Or the fact that Karasuno glared at anybody who did as much as look at him wrong.</p>
<p>Now, wandering through the hallways, he noted something that he honestly should've expected by now.  "Should I have taken that turn earlier...?"  He muttered to himself.  It was at the point he realized what situation he was in:</p>
<p>He was lost.</p>
<p>He wasn't <em>that</em> lost, so he could probably make it back in time.  There wouldn't be any complications this time.</p>
<p>Or at least, there <em>shouldn't</em> have been.</p>
<p>Hinata went to turn the corner, his mind offhandedly focusing on something else, causing him to space out.  He felt himself hit a wall, and stumbled back.  But then he looked up and realized it wasn't a wall.  It was a tall guy accompanied by two others baring similar heights.  They had scary looking faces that made him want to run away and hide just about anywhere but there.</p>
<p>"Oh!  I-I'm so sorry!  I'll just be on my way now..."  he stuttered, trying to make a break for it.  But the man he bumped into grabbed him by the back of his uniform and threw up against the side wall.  Hinata's back hit the wall and he crumpled onto the ground.</p>
<p>"I don't think you realize, kid.  You don't just get away with things.  I think we should teach you a lesson to put that in your mind."  he put his fists together and grinned, sending a chill down Hinata's spine.  </p>
<p>
  <em>Okay, let's think about the situation at hand.  Calm, Shoyo, calm.  You're surrounded by three men who are definitely in some kind of sport and are taller than you by about 8 inches.  You are backed into a wall in an abandoned hallway because your dumb ass somehow found the farthest, most unused bathroom.  You don't have your phone because you left it on the bus, and the team has no idea you're here.  So what do you do to get out of this?  Think, like you do in volleyball.  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Alright, set plan:</em>
</p>
<p><em>Panic.</em><br/>
<br/>
Hinata felt the air abandon him as he was punched harshly in the stomach.  His back hit the wall and made a resounding <em>thunk</em> as pain shot through his body.  He fell to the floor as the three men above him smiled down with a look of nothing but evil-intent.</p>
<p>This wasn't a good situation to be in, and he knew it.  Sure, he could jump high and had amazing physical aspects.  But when comparing strength against strength, Hinata would always lose.  He just wasn't as strong as the other players.  And these ones could beat him into ashes if they wanted to.  Honestly?  It was kind of looking like they did.</p>
<p>Why did he have such bad luck?  He just wanted to use the bathroom.</p>
<p>Hinata clenched his fist in fear when another punch was aimed toward him, this time hitting his face.  His head was forced back and hit against the cold wall behind him.  He felt his nose begin to pour blood as his vision was beginning to be taken over by black splotches.  </p>
<p>His body felt like it was on fire, surging with excruciating pain that never seemed to go away.  All he wanted was for it to stop, because <em>god, </em>it hurt. </p>
<p>The men looked over the small figure hunched against the wall.  He had bruises, a nosebleed, and a forming black eye.  He looked so weak it was almost amusing.  The guy in the front, who seemed to be the leader, picked him up by the collar of his shirt and reared back for another punch.  </p>
<p>Hinata's eyes remained glossy as he tried to fight the black splotches fighting against his retina's.  He felt himself leave the wall as he was picked up, though couldn't see what exactly was happening.  He scrunched his eyes closed as he saw what looked to be a fist drawing backwards.  He heard a voice say something that was too muffled out to hear.</p>
<p>But, as his eyes remained closed, he never felt the punch come.  Instead, he was forcefully dropped.  He took the risk to open his eyes, and was met with a pure blessing.</p><hr/>
<p>It had been about 10 minutes and Hinata still hadn't returned.  The team was getting a bit worried.  Well, that was one way to put it.  They all had mixed reactions.  Tsukishima, for example, didn't really care.  On the other hand, Sugawara was just about losing his mind.</p>
<p>He was pacing back and forth in front of the bus, his face expression troubled and concerned.  It was simply characteristic for Suga to be so stressed over this kind of thing.  Hinata was practically his own child, so it'd make sense that he'd care so much.</p>
<p>"I'm getting worried, he's normally back by now.  Are you sure we can't go look for him?"  Suga asked.  It was upsetting to see him so worked up, sorrow just didn't match his face.</p>
<p>"Shouldn't we trust him more, though?  I'm sure he's fine, we just need to have faith in him."  Narita replied.  Clearly he didn't know about Hinata Shoyo's luck, or lack thereof.  </p>
<p>"It's not about not having faith in him, he tends to run into trouble at the bathrooms.  He always ends up finding another team.  I haven't seen him get hurt from it, but my gut feelings are spiking.  Something happened, I can just feel it."  Sugawara practically snapped back.  The team gaped at his tone.  Koushi was always the laid-back, cheerful co-captain who'd compliment everybody at any chance.  He was a mother figure to the entire team by now.  They, excluding Daichi and Asahi, had never heard him use such a tone.</p>
<p>"I agree.  Let's go look for him.  Worst case scenario is him getting hurt, which we don't want to happen.  Though I don't think even somebody like <em>him </em>could manage to get hurt on the way to the bathroom, chances aren't 0.  Let's head out, team."  Daichi spoke with steel in his voice.  He, too, was worried about Hinata.  Even though he knew that Hinata was tough, he still couldn't shake the feeling of worry and protectiveness. </p>
<p>
  <em>So this is what it's like to be a parent.</em>
</p>
<p>The team walked back inside of the now empty building, looking onto a map located at the front desk.  There were multiple bathrooms around the building, each at different distances.  If this was anybody else, they'd go to the bathroom closest to the gym where they played, but this was Hinata.  It wouldn't be surprising if he found a bathroom somewhere else.  Honestly, some of the players wouldn't bat an eye if he'd manage to find one not even on the map.</p>
<p>"Alright, we'll split up.  Ennoshita, Kinoshita, Narita, Yamaguchi, Tsukishima.  You five can check the left side while the rest of us cover the right.  Ennoshita, you're in charge.  Don't disappoint me.  When we find Hinata we'll inform the group chat and meet back here."  Daichi directed, getting firm nods from Ennoshita and the rest of the group.  Was it the best idea to trust Ennoshita with leading the group?  No, not really.  But it was really the only option they had;  Kinoshita and Narita were idiots, Yamaguchi would probably think too much of the situation, and Tsukishima just wouldn't care.  </p>
<p>The groups parted as they trudged into their set directions.  <em>God, Hinata, why'd you have to do this?  We could really benefit from not having you get lost in an unknown location.</em></p>
<p>Still, they couldn't hide the fondness they'd grown for Hinata.  He'd even manage to grow on Tsukishima, even if it wasn't much.  Somehow, Hinata had managed to weave his way into the hearts of just about everybody he met.</p>
<p>But as they neared an abandoned bathroom, they realized that his charm didn't work on <em>everybody.</em></p>
<p>They heard it first.  A pained squeak followed by a slam.  Now, they had no real evidence that this was Hinata, but Sugawara's parental instincts were just about as solid as real facts.  Even if it wasn't Hinata, they'd still help out, obviously, because that's just the right thing to do.</p>
<p>"What, you really think you could play volleyball?  I think you'd be better off as their spike target for practices.  Wanna try that out now?  It might be beneficial to your career."  A voice sneered from down the hallway, and <em>that </em>was the final piece that sent the teammates barreling around the corner.  </p>
<p>The sight they saw pained them in every way possible.  Hinata was held by his collar against the wall, bruises littering his skin and his eyes hazed over.  He had blood trickling down his nose, mixing in with his tears which seemed to stream on forever.  </p>
<p>Karasuno saw <em>red.</em>  Oh, <em>hell </em>no.  The sight was all it took for them to spring into action, with Tanaka, Nishinoya, and Kageyama charging straight for the three guys.  Normally, their behavior would be repremanded.  But this time, Daichi made no move to stop them.  Sugawara and Asahi bolted towards Hinata, overlooking his injuries and asking rapid questions.</p>
<p>Daichi stood by, texting the rest of the group telling them to head back.  Pocketing his phone, he looked up at the scene before him.  The only word he could use to explain it was...<em>chaotic.</em></p>
<p>"Who the hell do you think you are, messing with our kohai?!  I'd be impressed if you saw the light of day again!"  Tanaka roared, beating up the dudes who <em>dared</em> to mess with their little Hinata.  Nishinoya joined him, as he was seething with anger.</p>
<p>They hurt their Hinata, their little number 10, who was sunshine and rainbows and couldn't harm a fly.  Their Shoyo, who would always put others above him and send them smiles that'd turn them into putty.  </p>
<p>As Daichi decided the right thing to do was to leave and find a staff member, Suga and Asahi worriedly checked over Hinata, who had his eyes clenched in fear.</p>
<p>"Hinata?  Hinata, are you okay?  Come on...Hinata..."  Suga spoke softly but you could hear the panic etched in his voice.  Nobody could blame him, really.  Hinata looked terrible.  </p>
<p>Speaking of Hinata, said boy groggily opened his eyes, hazed and clouded, and groaned as pain erupted from his body.</p>
<p>"...Sugawara-senpai...?  Asahi-senpai?  Where...what..."  Sugawara and Asahi shared a panicked glance; Did he have a concussion?  Or was he just being delusional?</p>
<p>Nonetheless, they breathed a sigh of relief.  Hinata was <em>okay.</em>  He was breathing fine and, though was clearly out of it, seemed to have gotten out of the confrontation with only a few bruises.</p>
<p>"You really gave us a scare, Hinata.  But you're gonna be okay now.  Can you tell us what happened?"  Sugawara spoke in a calm, reassuring voice.  Though he was also convincing himself.  He knew that Asahi wouldn't be able to keep level headed, considering he too was terrified, so Suga took charge of the situation.  It was just the abilities of the <em>team mom.</em></p>
<p> "Well...I went to the bathroom, but when I left, I bumped into that big dude.  They cornered me and...<em>hit</em> me, then you guys came and saved me!  Thanks for that, by the way."</p>
<p>Tanaka and Nishinoya approached, having...<em>dealt with</em> the three boys who had <em>dared</em> to harm Hinata.  True to his word, it would be a miracle for them to see the light of day in the next 24 hours.  The three of them were out <em>cold.</em>  </p>
<p>"Of course we saved you!  It's our job as your senpai, after all!"  Nishinoya spoke with pride in his voice as he pointed to himself with his thumb.  He sent a slightly egotistical grin toward Hinata, which was reciprocated with a direct attack from the <em>sun.</em>  Nishinoya just about fell back, he was <em>not </em>prepped for that.  But then again, nothing could truly prep anybody for those sunshine smiles.  Not years of experience, not a tolerance.  All of it was thrown out the window as soon as his eyes sparkled.  </p>
<p>"You're so cool, Nishinoya-senpai!  You were all like <em>bwahhh!</em>  And <em>kapow!  </em>I didn't get to see much of it, but it made me feel all <em>gwahh!</em>"  Hinata spoke with pure admiration, making Nishinoya place a hand to his chest and stumble back a few steps.  Hell, he almost fell over.  Tanaka pouted, and called out for himself.</p>
<p>"What about me?  Aren't I cool too?"  Tanaka spoke with a sadness that they could tell wasn't really real.  He just wanted to hear praise from his favorite kohai. </p>
<p>"Of course Tanaka-senpai!  You were awesome!  You were all like <em>boom! </em> And <em>powie!</em>  It was totally amazing!" Tanaka swelled with pride, straightening his back and closing his eyes in nothing but satisfaction.  Yeah, dang <em>right</em> he was awesome.  <em>You hear that, Ennoshita?  I'm better than you.  </em>Tanaka thought inwardly.</p>
<p>"Well, I'm glad to see you're doing okay, Hinata.  Is there anywhere that still hurts?  Did you pass out at any point?"  Sugawara once again took charge.  He loved to see that he was doing fine mentally, but at the moment, his priority was to make sure he didn't have a concussion or any major injuries.  </p>
<p>"I mean, my stomach hurts a little, but other than that I think I'm okay!  I don't remember passing out though."  Hinata cheered, as though he didn't just get beat up in a hallway.</p>
<p>"Oi, don't go doing that again, dumbass."  Kageyama spoke in a harsh tone, but everybody there (other than Hinata) could hear the concerned undertone.  They knew he care, whether he wanted to admit it or not.</p>
<p>"Eh??  But I didn't even do anything!  Don't blame me, Bakageyama!"  Hinata stuck his tongue out, making everybody else in the room, excluding Kageyama, burst out in laughter.  It seemed recovery would be just fine.</p>
<p>Kageyama clicked his tongue and looked away with a scowl.  "Dumbass."  Was all he could retort.  Hinata chuckled.  Even though he wasn't as...<em>intelligent</em> as his teammates, he knew that Kageyama meant well.</p>
<p>"Hinata!"  Hearing his name, Hinata looked up to see Daichi, the rest of the team, and a staff member running toward them.  He waved, sending them a bubbly smile.  Yamaguchi smiled softly, Ennoshita sighed in relief, and Tsukishima turned away with a frown, though it was obvious he was worried too.  Daichi assessed Hinata's injuries while the staff member took statements from the others.</p>
<p>Daichi, with permission, pulled up Hinata's shirt to find a large splotch of purple and blue.  The bruise was about the size of a football, maybe a little bigger, and stretched across his stomach.  They were afraid to touch it, scared that even the lightest brush against it could send it into pain.  </p>
<p>To put it simply, it did <em>not</em> look good.  Sugawara's eyes slightly widened, Asahi and Kageyama tensed up, and Tanaka and Nishinoya, who were being questioned, caught a glance and took on a darker aura than they already carried, which honestly didn't seem possible.</p>
<p>"Does it still hurt?"  Asahi asked, just a <em>liiiiittle </em>terrified but also just as concerned.</p>
<p>"A little bit, but not as much as it did before!"  Hinata cheered, sending relief flowing through the team's veins.  He was truly <em>okay.</em>  There wasn't anything else to worry about.</p>
<p>Daichi smiled and turned, calling out to his teammates.  "Good.  Let's head back onto the bus, everybody.  We can't afford to be too late."  </p>
<p>"Hai!"  He heard collectively from each teammate.  By now the staff member interviewing them was long gone, towing off with the three boys who had caused trouble.  There was no doubt their team would be getting suspended from whatever tournament they were apart of.</p>
<p>"I'll carry you, Hinata!  I'm your senpai, after all!"  Tanaka boasted, lifting the tangerine onto his back, his arms wrapping around his neck.</p>
<p>"Thanks, Tanaka-senpai!"  Hinata beamed, sending the team into a flurry of emotions.  None of those emotions came even close to negativity.  Sunshine, rainbows, everything of the sort.  Did Hinata know anything of negativity?  Honestly, they didn't think so.  But they'd all have to be more wary now, considering what had happened.  Nobody wanted history to repeat itself; they couldn't, <em>wouldn't</em> allow it.  Because Hinata was <em>their</em> baby crow, and nobody messed with him.</p>
<p>As they walked farther away from the scene, Hinata smiled to himself, almost as if he was sighing in relief.  His nose had stopped bleeding, his head had stopped hurting, and his team was here.  Everything would be okay now.</p>
<p>"You good up there, shorty?"  Tanaka called up to him.  He perked up, looking back down before breaking into a smile much softer than the one he'd shown before.  It was small, but held just as much emotion.  Though it wasn't happiness shooting off, it was <em>safety.</em></p>
<p>And he knew he'd be safe for the rest of his days.</p>
<p>"Yeah," Hinata whispered, only barely heard by the rest of Karasuno, before adding on,</p>
<p>"Perfect."</p><hr/>
<p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Well...there's that.  Feel free to make suggestions about what team I should cover next, and...uhhh...thanks for reading!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The Iron Wall</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Okay, maybe it's a little concerning to see Hinata in the white-and-green jacket that definitely belongs to Dateko.  But there's no need to worry, right?  It's not like they wanted to KEEP him.</p>
<p>...Oh, they wanted to keep him.  Okay.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA im SO sorry you guys waited so long for an update, i completely lost track of time because i was reading so many different works.</p>
<p>Still, you ask and you receive!  I got multiple comments about Date Tech, so that's our first team we'll be going over!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They hadn't even started their match when Hinata had somehow managed to find himself lost. Again.  Karasuno was worried to no end after...the <em>incident</em> that occurred last time.  Could you really blame them, though?  Hinata had recovered physically, but since then, he'd always been a bit scared to venture off by himself.  It had scared all of them, honestly.  To think that somebody would even try to hurt Hinata was...unprejudiced.  It was pretty much an unspoken law that nobody could do that.  To sum it up, being lost wasn't really the best scenario for Hinata.  Even though they found him last time, though with a price, supposedly. </p>
<p>However, the difference this time was that there wasn't enough time to go out and find him like before.  Their match started in just ten minutes, not nearly enough time to search the entire facility.  It was just too big.  And the hallways were still so crowded, filled to the brim with other teams and spectators going to all of the different gyms.  It was possibly the busiest time of the day.  It couldn't be any more inconvenient. </p>
<p>Ennoshita sighed, "How does he even end up in these situations?  Couldn't he have just stuck to one of us?"</p>
<p>"That isn't actually a bad idea...maybe we should arrange a partner schedule?"  Sugawara asked, looking up to the group.  "Either way, there's no time to go and find him.  We can't miss our match, but he has to be here for it too.  Is there any other team we know here?"  It was a bit of a longshot to not have Karasuno go look for him themselves, but warmups were already starting and they didn't have any time to waste.  Even sending just one person couldn't be trustable considering that they might get lost looking for Hinata, and they didn't want <em>two</em> missing players.</p>
<p>Still, members like Kageyama and Tsukishima groaned at the thought of a partner schedule.  It means they'd have to spend unwanted time babysitting the shrimp.  In reality, though, they'd rather be doing literally anything else. </p>
<p>But back on topic now.</p>
<p>Karasuno's members thought for a bit, thinking back to the bracket paper they were given.  Suddenly, Daichi spoke up.  "I think Date Tech is here...?  Though I'm not sure how well they know Hinata..."</p>
<p>They don't recall really ever having spoken to Date Tech outside of matches, so they couldn't think of any reason as to why Hinata would know the team.  Honestly, even Kageyama probably knew Date Tech a little better, considering Koganegawa and all of the group chats he'd been roped into.  All of which he left.</p>
<p>They sighed.  Date Tech being there pretty much got them nowhere, considering they hadn't known them well enough to really be able to help out at a time like this.  So they had to think of other ideas.  At least...that's what <em>they</em> thought.  The team wasn't quite aware of the ongoing acquaintanceship their number 10 had with a certain Aone Takanobu.</p>
<p>It was a bit more than an acquaintanceship.  </p>
<hr/>
<p>Hinata shuddered and clenched his hands close to his chest as he found himself engulfed by the busy hallways.  Many teams and spectators flooded the area, making him unable to find his team.  He'd been trailing behind Kageyama when another team had intercepted, and they were <em>tall.</em>  After they had passed, he looked forward to see that his team was long gone.  He didn't even know what way he should've been going.</p>
<p>Now, he wandered the crowded area aimlessly, having taken too many turns to know what direction he had gone in by now.  He hoped that his team would've have noticed that he was missing from their group.</p>
<p>Ever since the <em>other</em> incident, he'd always been scared of these situations.  Volleyball in itself was full of big, scary people, some of which aren't too nice.  He's always looked down on, both mentally and physically.  Since he was short, people just saw him as nothing.  Dirt on their shoes.  But he was so much more than that!  Why couldn't they see what his teammates and friends all saw?  Why would anybody be so rude when he didn't do anything?  Hinata thought the whole thing was unfair. </p>
<p>Maybe if he was just a little bit taller, people would respect him more.  They wouldn't tease him, and his classmates wouldn't assume he was just some errand boy.  Or maybe the other teams wouldn't assume he was just some player's younger brother or elementary kid who came to watch the matches.  <em>That was real annoying, by the way, to have to tell them otherwise.</em></p>
<p>The only place he had to make a stand for himself was on the court.  Because on the court, he could jump.  But anywhere off the court?  He couldn't really do anything there.  When fighting with strength or height, he'll never win.  He's met maybe one person who's shorter than him and in high school, and that's Noya-senpai.  But Noya-senpai fought him out of strength; easily.  So sure, he could fight on the court, but anywhere else he was dead meat.</p>
<p>His train of thoughts were interrupted when he slammed into a wall.  The wall had shifted, and it was then he realized that <em>wait, walls don't move.  That isn't a wall.</em>  Opening his eyes (which he closed on reflex) he looked up and was met with the face of Date Tech's Aone Takanobu.  Tilting his head, he caught the view of the rest of the team eyeing him wearily.  Well, other than Koganegawa, who was looking at him with a toothy grin.  </p>
<p>Hinata nearly sighed in relief as he'd finally had found people he knew.  The rest of Date Tech didn't really know him as well as Aone and Koganegawa did, but there were always chances to change that.  Maybe this was one of them.  Hopefully, between the eight of them, at least one of them had a good sense in direction.</p>
<p>"Aone-san!  Hi!  It's great to see you again!"  He beamed, sending those who hadn't known him well into a state of surprise.  Obara took a step back in surprise, and Fukiage had his mouth hanging wide open, gaping.  They weren't quite prepared to be melted away by the sun, not today or any other day.  </p>
<p>"Hinata Shouyou."  Aone spoke with a deep voice, looking down at him and slightly bowing.  Though others may think that Aone was about to, well, tear his limbs off, Hinata could tell that there was affection in his tone.  He could see it in the taller one's eyes, too.  Surprisingly to others, they were actually really good friends.</p>
<p>But, really good friends or not, Aone still lacked in the social department.  So Koganegawa took over.</p>
<p>"Shouyouuuu!  Why aren't you with your team?  Didn't the bracket say your match started really soon?"  He asked, leaning on Futakuchi's shoulder to look over the bracket list the captain held in his hands.  Futakuchi, in return, sent him a light hearted glare, though it was also a warning.</p>
<p>"Yeah, but I got lost.  I, uh, don't really know where my team went..."  Hinata sighed, looking down toward the ground in shame.  Maybe if he had just paid more attention, been a little faster, <em>grown a little taller-</em></p>
<p>"Oh!  Well we can help you!  Right, Aone?"  Koganegawa turned to the taller middle blocker, shooting him a hopeful look.  Aone's features softened ever so slightly, and he raised his hand to place it on Hinata's head, ruffling his hair in a soothing matter.  And soothing it was, as Hinata relaxed his muscles quite a bit and looked up to Aone and the rest of the team with hope and admiration.  His eyes practically sparkled.</p>
<p>"Yeah.  We'll get you there."  Aone spoke.  It was short and simple, though Hinata didn't mind in the slightest.  He didn't need any requirements for his friends, he was just happy he had them.  In fact, he was really lucky he had so many of them.  <em>How did he manage to get so many friends, though?  He wasn't really doing anything...right?</em></p>
<p>Hinata's face melted into a warm, cheery smile, so bright it seemed to light up the room.  The team physically recoiled and did their best to contain their composure, though their hearts clenched and their senses were pretty much out the window.  Taking Hinata and the rest of the team by surprise, Aone suddenly lent down and hoisted Hinata onto his shoulders.  Hinata looked awestruck at the sight of being so high up.  He could see the top of everybody's head and even the top of the doorways.  Was this how tall people felt?  Man, tall people have it great.</p>
<p>Recovering from their moment of rehab, Date Tech shook off their moment of being caught off guard and looked around for the doorway that led to the gym Karasuno would be training in.  Grinning, Hinata saw a sign above the top of a door (something he could never have possibly seen before) that showed a number Hinata had been able to remember as the gym they'd be playing in.  Leaning forward a bit, he eagerly pointed far down the hallway where that door had been spotted, and off they went.  </p>
<p>While they were walking, Koganegawa started to start up a conversation.</p>
<p>"Soo, Shouyou, wanna be added to our team group chat?  I think you'd like it!  Oh, and can I have your phone number?"</p>
<p>Hinata brightened even <em>more,</em> something they weren't quite sure was possible.  "Woah, I can really be added?  That's okay?  And I'll gladly give you my number!"  He smiled, pulling his phone out of his bag (something he had been told to carry with him since before) and reaching his contact page, handing it over to Koganegawa.  He typed in his number before returning the phone and hastily pulling out his own phone and typing some numbers into it.  Moments later, Hinata heard a small <em>ding </em>of a notification and looked down to see he'd been added to the group chat.</p>
<p>Hinata cheered before putting his phone away, once again taking in the sight of all the heads he could see.  All of the facial expressions he could now identify because he could actually see them for once without them having to look down.  Over all of the boisterous chatter of the hallway, he couldn't hear the whispering coming from Date Tech.</p>
<p>Hinata's eyes widened a bit in surprise when he felt something be placed on his head.  Instinctively, he raised his hand to catch it before taking it in.  It was a jacket of Date Tech's colors.  His eyes sparkled, seeing that the number was 10, which was a number not occupied by anybody on their team.  </p>
<p>"There ya go shorty!  We had some extras, so we thought it'd only be right if you got one!  Now you're officially one of us!"  Koganegawa spoke cheerfully.  The previous whispering was from him and Futakuchi's idle chatter of "<em>getting him a jacket so he'd truly be theirs.</em>"</p>
<p>Hinata slipped the jacket on over his own and noted that it had fit him nicely.  It was a bit big, but it still gave off waves of comfort.  It fit over his Karasuno jacket snuggly and gave him a sense of contentment and warmth.</p>
<p>Aone opened the door, giving off a quiet but not unheard warning for Hinata to duck his head.  Doing so, they entered and were blinded by the lights much brighter than the ones in the hallway.  They made note of Karasuno huddled in the corner, speaking in hushed whispers.  Sugawara turned his head at the sound of the door opening and sighed heavily in relief.  Leave it to Hinata to worry him to no end.</p>
<p>"Hinata!" He called, making the rest of the team snap up to follow Suga's gaze.  And <em>oh,</em> was it something, alright.</p>
<p>Hinata had been wearing a jacket over his own that was white and green, no doubt a Date Tech jacket.  Additionally, he'd been on the shoulders of Aone Takanobu, who was sending him a <em>soft smile.</em>  You know, from the man who never showed emotion?  Yeah. Real weird.  And even more confusing, the team had been talking with him like they'd known each other for years.</p>
<p>Hinata turned to face his own team and sent out a large grin and a lot of hand waves.  Karasuno was used to it by now, but it seemed like the other team they were facing wasn't quite prepared for it.  Their reactions were even worse than the first time Date Tech had seen it.  They practically fainted.</p>
<p>Daichi jogged up to the Iron Defense team, thanking them repetitively for bringing Hinata back to them.  Sugawara followed suit, getting in front of Aone and Hinata and outstretching his arms to lift Hinata up.</p>
<p>But no movements were made.  It's almost as if Aone and the rest of the team didn't want to let him go, or rather-</p>
<p>...Oh, they wanted to keep him.  Okay.</p>
<p>Sugawara's grin became a bit more scary, now bordering a heavy threat.  Sweat-dropping, Koganegawa tapped Aone's side, telling him to just give it up.  Though Aone wouldn't have done it for any other reason, seeing Hinata smile so brightly at his own team made him lean forward for him to be taken off of his back.  He loved Hinata and wanted him on the team, but he could tell where he truly belonged.  And Aone was his friend.  He had no place to get in the way of that.  It'd just be plain mean.</p>
<p>So, reluctantly, Hinata was lifted from the taller one's back and set on the ground, courtesy of a certain silver-haired setter who was well prepared to throw hands if they did otherwise. Sugawara twitched a bit when seeing the back side of the jacket, now seeing that it was clearly not to "just borrow."  Still, he hid his uncalculated anger with a warm smile toward the little tangerine, telling him to go change so they could start warmups.  Hinata skipped off into the connected locker room, Kageyama trailing behind him and showering him in an obscene amount of insults.  (all of which sounded like the word "dumbass.")</p>
<p>After the duo had faded out of sight, Sugawara turned back to Date Tech with a soft yet threatening smile.  "Thank you for bringing him back."  He said, bowing at them.  Koganegawa simply waved him off, saying that it wasn't an issue and that they actually enjoyed the mini-adventure.  The others agreed, though voiced in different ways.  Aone simply just nodded.</p>
<p>"Oh, but..."  Sugawara's voice turned icy cold, and everybody in the vicinity straightened, even his own teammates.  Nishinoya and Tanaka practically cowered in fear.  </p>
<p>"Just know, he's our crow.  <em>Don't try to steal him.  Okay? </em>" He spoke in a sharp, piercing tone that left no room for arguments.  The power of a mother, indeed.  Date Tech, excluding Aone, quickly nodded and hurriedly walked off to their own gym.  Aone just stood there, before giving off a quick message.</p>
<p>"Tell Hinata I said good luck."</p>
<p>And with that, he turned around and exited, following the rest of the team out the door.  Asahi sighed and let out his breath, no longer being stared at and singled out as an ace.  It went unnoticed by everybody else, other than Nishinoya, who simply gave him a pat on the back and told him to stop being such a wimp.</p>
<p>Hinata came back out in his team uniform, holding both his Karasuno jacket and his Date Tech jacket in his hands.  Kageyama followed suit with a scowl, clearly glaring at the white and green jacket his partner had been given.</p>
<p>Hinata smiled brightly at his team, setting down his jackets next to his bag.  The team smiled back.</p>
<p>"Let's play!  Karasuno...FIGHT!"</p>
<p>"FIGHT!"</p>
<hr/>
<p>OMAKE:</p>
<p>After the match had ended (with Karasuno successfully coming out on top) the team sat down on the bus, getting ready to return to the school.  Much to the curiosity of the others, Hinata was smilling at his screen, rapidly texting.  Normally, they'd assume it was Kenma and move on with it, but Kenma didn't type that much.  Not to where they'd have a back and forth conversation that fast.</p>
<p>Nishinoya decided to take the bullet, rising to the challenge to ask the question they'd all been wanting to.</p>
<p>"Hey, Hinata!  Who're you texting?  Is it a <em>girllll</em>?"  He trailed, sending a mischievous grin.  Kageyama paid a bit more attention now, he hadn't thought about that.  Did Hinata have a girlfriend?  I mean, a lot of people liked him, but in that way?  They honestly didn't know.  But, all previous thoughts of a significant other were immediately thrown out the window when Hinata replied.</p>
<p>"Oh, no!  I'm just texting Date Tech!  They added me to their team group chat, see?"  He turned his phone around for all of them to see, showing them the group chat.</p>
<p>The team groaned.  Date Tech was definitely trying to keep him.  Or at least as much as possible.  If they'd been able to be moved like <em>that</em> so quickly, then it was without a doubt;</p>
<p>This would be a common occurrence.   </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>a lil short ik but i thought it was cute-</p>
<p>Leave more suggestions for what you want next!  I always look at comments to help me decide what I want to write.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. ...What'cha got there, Lev?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>After learning that Kenma had actually made a friend who he'd hold actual conversations with (and not just one sided speaking), Nekoma went on a journey to also befriend Karasuno's little number 10, the one who'd somehow managed to become best friends with their setter.</p><p>When Lev joins the team and catches glimpse of Hinata after hearing all of the team talk about him, he becomes determined to make him theirs.  Not romantically, but rather literally.  </p><p>OR:  Lev pretty much kidnaps Hinata endearingly.  Chaos ensues.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>guys i promise i dont always post like once every month im just a huge procrastinator like-</p><p>mayyyyybe new story coming soon?  its in my drafts, let me know if you want it.  i'm thinking we got kid shouyou and sugawara as his older brother, with an overly obsessed karasuno (and eventually other teams if i actually decide to do this)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kenma making a friend?  A little unusual.  It being a total stranger he met on the street?  Okay, that's a little weirder.  But him actually holding conversations and pausing his games to talk to said person?  That's just downright insane.  Kuroo has been his best friend for <em>years,</em> and even then he never so much as looked up from his game to talk to him.  Hell, he didn't even like interaction, yet here he was doing it willingly with somebody so <em>bouncy </em>and <em>energetic.</em>  You know, the things Kenma is far from ever being?  It's freaky.</p><p>So you'd think it be obvious that Nekoma wanted a piece of that.  All of it, actually.  If this little ball of sunshine known as Hinata Shouyou could get Kenma to be interested in things, including volleyball, which is a <em>sport</em> that requires <em>physical</em> <em>activity,</em> (something Kenma would normally never do in a million years) then they wanted him on the team.  They <em>needed</em> him on the team.  Imagine their setter being on a national level just because of one first year!</p><p>And, honestly, Nekoma had never met Hinata Shouyou.  All they knew was that they'd hang out outside of school and constantly text each other.  So they had no idea <em>why</em> Shouyou being there would be a benefit to anybody other than Kenma.  It wasn't until their practice match was scheduled that they finally saw why.  And they didn't just need him for Kenma, no no, they needed him for the entire team.</p><p>He was a ray of sunshine.  He'd smile at you and you'd lose the feeling in your legs.  If he praised you?  Oh, lord, it's over.  You're in heaven now, no leaving.  Hinata was an actual <em>angel,</em> and Nekoma had their plots to one day take him to Tokyo and just...you know, keep him.  Not without consent, obviously, that'd be kidnapping, but...</p><p>If they got consent?  Oh yeah, they're keeping him.  Inuoka has a guest bedroom and is also quite smitten with him.  It'll work.</p><p>However, Karasuno was very protective of said fluffy angel.  They couldn't take him even if they wanted to, (which they did, they <em>really</em> wanted to) so any hopes they had of making Kenma and Shouyou the best players to ever exist were out the window.  </p><p>Well, that is until the training camp.</p><p>Hinata had befriended practically everybody, building an especially close relationship with Inuoka, Kenma, Lev, Bokuto, and Akaashi.  Lev was curious after hearing all of the rumors about Hinata.  How he'd gotten even Kenma to open up.  He thought that was, well, <em>bullshit,</em> because he couldn't even get a word of kindness from Kenma, and he was just as energetic.</p><p>But then he met Hinata and understood.  He wasn't just energetic, he was pure.  Just the straight image of innocence and kindness.  He was tiny, he had eyes like caramel that shined in admiration, and most of all, he was <em>adorable.</em></p><p>Now, normally, their fruitions would be done the same.  Karasuno was still, if not even <em>more,</em> protective than the last time they faced each other.   So, while this training camp was held in their home base where they could easily snatch him aboard for the Nekoma Express, they still couldn't do that with those damned crows breathing down their necks, making sure there was always a supervisor.</p><p>But with Lev around the team?  Things were made different.  Lev, the damned tall idiot, had no fear or remorse to his name.</p><p>So naturally, when Hinata was brought into practice <em>after</em> the rest of Karasuno left Tokyo, things didn't go so well.</p>
<hr/><p>Karasuno's bus had just left the camp, showing that their plans to keep him were still too far away.  Kenma pouted with the absence of his sunny friend, returning to his game which he hadn't touched in quite a bit since the training camp started.  It was honestly ridiculous he could be pulled away from it for even ten minutes.  Kuroo sighed, Kenma was back to his unproductive self, and the spring Nekoma had in their step was gone. </p><p>They ended up trickling out as well, heading back to their houses.  Kenma and Kuroo hung out at the former's house, while everybody else simply resorted to texting friends they met along the training camp.</p><p>Well, all except <em>one.</em>  Lev.  God forsaken Lev.  Mr. Haiba, the keeper for the record of the <em>Most Idiotic Decision</em>.  He decided that he and Hinata would have a "secret sleepover" to spend more time with each other.  Of course, Hinata was ecstatic at the idea of staying in Tokyo longer and hanging out with his friends.  Plus, it being a secret just made it all the more fun.  The two were like children, constantly giggling and joking around.  </p><p>By his empty phone, Hinata had come to the conclusion that they didn't realize he wasn't with them yet, which was <em>perfect.</em>  As long as he could hold out a little longer, he could get away with staying the night and maybe only come out with minor injuries from Kageyama.  Maybe Daichi too.  There's no doubt that they'd be worried, but he can hold his own, right?  He's 15!  Surely they wouldn't mind if he went off to do his own thing for a bit.  It's not like they're his <em>parents.</em>  </p><p>At Kenma's house, he couldn't help but feel off.  Maybe it was just him being petty, but he knew something was up.  Kuroo didn't look the same, though Kuroo was stupid, so that wasn't a surprise.  As he continued to play his game, he spoke, not breaking eye contact with the screen.</p><p>Kenma sighed, "I feel like something's wrong."</p><p>"What do you mean?"  Kuroo asked, looking up from his phone.  He'd been scrolling through his social media, checking out all the posts that Bokuto's made in the last hour.  (At least 13)</p><p>"I don't know..." Kenma pointedly glared, "It feels like somebody did something stupid." </p><p>Kuroo laughed, "We just got back from training camp, I don't think anybody had the time to do something like that."</p><p>Oh, somebody did.  And soon they'd find out that Kenma's suspicions were correct.</p>
<hr/><p>Meanwhile, outside of Karasuno High School, a group of students stepped off of their bus, breathing in the fresh air and feeling relieved for the ground now below them.  It was quite a long trip, as it was now nearing the evening.  The sun had start to set in the sky.  It was a beautiful sight to come back to, good ol' Miyagi.  Though Tokyo was amazing with the bright lights and busy streets, Miyagi had a feeling of home to them.</p><p>But despite this contentment, Sugawara couldn't help but feel like something was...<em>wrong.</em></p><p>As everybody got off the bus and lined up, he decided to do a headcount just to be sure. <em>One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven...?  Wait, 11.  We're missing somebody!  </em>He redid his headcount only to end up with the same result.  He looked around once more, this time counting by jersey number, and...it was Hinata that was gone.  Of course.  </p><p>He decided to speak up about this.  "Did Hinata fall asleep on the bus...?"  </p><p>With this, everybody looked around to realize that he, in fact, had not gotten off the bus with the rest of them.  Kageyama looked a bit confused, Asahi looked worried as always, but Nishinoya just laughed it off.</p><p>"He's really a heavy sleeper, huh?  I'll go get him."  He trudged back onto the bus and did something they couldn't quite see through the windows.  They all waited patiently, but frowned when Nishinoya came back a little more pale than before.</p><p>"Uh, guys...?  We may have a problem."  He spoke with caution, looking back with uneasiness.</p><p>"I-Is he dead?!  Oh god, did he die on the bus?!  Was it too fast, was-"  Asahi ranted but was cut off by Suga sharply jabbing him in the side. </p><p>"Stop with the negativity!" he said, though also couldn't contain his worry.  Leave it to Hinata to make the team more worried than ever.  It was almost like an occupation of his, as easy as his charm.</p><p>The team looked at Nishinoya in expectation, though he didn't say anything.  </p><p>"Well?!  Spit it out, Noya!"  Tanaka roared, stepping forward.</p><p>"Well, he, uh..."  He trailed off, looking for the right way to word this without triggering the anger of everybody else.  Though honestly, it was impossible at this point, so he just said it.</p><p>"Hinata wasn't on the bus."</p><p>Silence.  And then hell broke loose.</p><p>"WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE WASN'T ON THE BUS?!"  Ukai shouted, running in there and checking for himself.  He, too, exited with no small amount of worry and anger.  He pinched the bridge of his nose and spoke, "He's right, he isn't there."</p><p>"Wait, so did he get lost here?  Already?"  Kinoshita spoke.</p><p>"No...I think..."  Daichi started, looking up with a dreading fear.</p><p>"I think we left him in Tokyo."</p><p>The team collectively paled.</p><p>"Wait, so he's alone in Tokyo?!" Yamaguchi shouted, starting to rant, "He already got lost twice there, and that was at camp!  What if he's wandering the streets cold and without food, what if he has to become homeless there, what if his phone dies and we never find him?!"</p><p>"Yamaguchi."  A voice cut him off from continuing his long tangent, and he paused to look up at Tsukishima.  Said glasses jerk looked him in the eyes and Yamaguchi saw the <em>slightest</em> twinkle of reassurance and worry for his teammate.  "We'll find him, he isn't dead."</p><p>"Plus, it's only been a few hours,"  Ennoshita joined in, trying to reassure everybody including himself, "He has Kenma and the rest of Nekoma too, I'm sure he's fine.  If anybody calls us and says they find him, we can get somebody to go out and get him.  Maybe we should try calling him?"</p><p>They sighed, letting out a bit of tension.  The way he put it, it didn't sound as bad anymore.  Daichi sent him a gentle smile.  Ennoshita would be a great captain next year.</p><p>"Yeah, let's try calling him."  Ukai nodded.  Kageyama volunteered, bringing up his contact named "Dumbass."  Karasuno collectively groaned at that.  Pressing the call option, they set it to speaker and formed a circle around the phone.  They waiter as it rang once, twice, another three times, before going to his cheery voicemail, <em>'Hi!  You've reached the voicemail of Hinata Shouyou!  That's me!  If I don't call back, I'm probably playing volleyball or something!  Leave a message and I'll get back to you whenever I see it!  Byee-OW!" </em> They were all familiar with the message that ended with a stub of his toe and an abrupt ending.</p><p>They tried the process again with everybody else's phones, yet got no response either.</p><p>"So I guess we've just gotta wait...?  He's in Tokyo, there's not really anything we could do except for wait out a phone call.  It's not like he's answering anyway."  Noya added.</p><p>"Yeah.  If he isn't back by tomorrow's practice, we'll call somebody from Nekoma."  Sugawara chimed in, sending a smile out that eased everybody's minds.</p><p>But then, Asahi spoke in a quiet voice, "And...if Nekoma doesn't have him?"  </p><p>They fell silent once again, thinking of the possibility that Hinata hadn't managed to find anybody.  Suddenly Yamaguchi's rant seemed a lot more believable.</p><p>Sugawara gulped, getting a visual image of his <em>baby crow</em> looking beaten and exhausted, stomach grumbling, as he sat in an alleyway. He quickly shook the thought out of his head.  Yeah,<em> no thank you</em>.</p><p>"All we can do is hope.  He hasn't called any of us yet, so we can just assume he's doing okay."  He answered, though a pit grew in his stomach.  He didn't want this to end up like last time, nobody did.</p><p>Hinata, please be okay.</p>
<hr/><p>The next day, practice for both teams resumed.  In Nekoma's gym, everybody had arrived and started warming up.  Well, everybody except for Lev.  The feeling of annoyance grew in Kenma's mind as he felt an oncoming headache.  Lev being late meant he did something stupid.  Last time he was late, he tried to jump everybody with water guns.  Which did not go well.  Kenma slapped him.  Yaku nutshotted him.  Kuroo laughed in the corner.</p><p>The door slammed open, making Kenma jump.  He went to glare at Lev but froze, the words dying on his tongue.  There, in his arms, dangling from the ground, was Shouyou.  The Shouyou that was supposed to be in Miyagi at practice with his team.  Who was supposed to leave Tokyo <em>yesterday</em>.</p><p>The rest of the team didn't even bother to look up at him, continuing their warm ups.  Kuroo sent a half-assed welcome and waved him off to join their stretches.  Kenma decided to speak up, looking at the pair with wide eyes.  </p><p>"...Uh."</p><p>Hearing Kenma confused, Kuroo tilted his head up and also froze upon seeing Shouyou in his arms, smiling brightly and waving as Lev held him from under his armpits.  </p><p>"...What'cha got there, Lev?"  Kuroo spoke, making the rest of the team look up and have similar reactions.  Normally they'd love to have him, but he shouldn't be in Tokyo.  Especially since his bus with the rest of his team left.  Did Karasuno even know he was here?</p><p>"I brought Shouyou!  And, you know, since he's here, can we keep him?"  Lev fired off, giving them a smile.  He swung Shouyou around, treating him like a newborn puppy or a cute kitten.  Kenma's gaze sharpened, seeing Hinata turn a little pale.</p><p>"Put him down.  And no."  Kenma said with a tone that left no room for arguing.  Lev still tried anyway, though he pouted and put Shouyou on the ground.  Said crow stuck his arms out for balance and it took a moment for his head to stop spinning.  Once he was back alive, he turned to the team and shot them a bright cheery smile that reeked of innocence. </p><p>"Why notttt?!  He's so great!  We could win with him around!  And everybody likes him!"  He retorted.  He did have some pretty strong points, but Shouyou had confusion in his eyes, meaning he wasn't aware of this plan.  Meaning this wasn't technically with consent, and Karasuno would kill them.</p><p>"And he already belongs to a team.  Besides, does Karasuno even know he's here?"  Yaku asked, bewildered.</p><p>"Nope."</p><p>The room went silent, processing Lev's words for a moment.  They didn't know.  Meaning Shouyou was technically missing in their eyes.  Meaning that they probably realized they left him in Tokyo but had <em>no way</em> to contact him.  Oh, they were dead.  They were so dead.  This is it for Nekoma.  They lived a long run, but Lev's idiot tendencies killed them all.</p><p>"YOU DIDN'T TELL THEM?!"  Inuoka all but screamed out, looking rather surprised and scared.  The team started yelling out protests at Lev for being such an idiot, while Hinata simply watched in slight confusion.  He didn't really see a problem, it was just a fun little secret.  What's the harm in good?</p><p>He was interrupted by his ringtone, making him jump slightly.  The rest of the team fell silent, looking at him as if they just remembered he was here, despite him being the reason they were fighting.  Hinata sighed.</p><p>"Aw man, it's Sugawara again.  Are you sure you want me to ignore the messages?  They've been calling and texting a lot."  He spoke with innocence, not realizing what was about to happen to Lev.</p><p>"You told him to <em>IGNORE</em> his teammates?!  So they don't even know he's here and okay?!  Oh my god, you are such an idiot!"  Yaku yelled out, and once again the fighting broke out.  The call went to voicemail once more, and Hinata simply backed into the corner slowly, trying not to exist.  It was getting a little too loud for his liking and he didn't like that he was the topic of the fight.  It made him feel like it was all his fault.  He found himself on the bench, curling up and letting his back hit the wall.  He watched the arguing continue to get louder and he clenched his fists and looked on, feeling bad.  Tears began to pool in his eyes.</p><p>Kenma, seeing his display of sadness, went over to comfort him.  He awkwardly pat his back as the tears began to fall, hastily grabbing onto Kenma's hand and squeezing it.  Kenma noted that he was shaking slightly, and he pouted before sending a sharp glare toward his team for being so stupid.  They were supposed to be helping him, yet here he was crying in their gym.</p><p>His first sniffle pulled the chaos to a stop.  Silence overtook them as they turned to follow the sound and caught glance of Shouyou with his knees to his chest, tears following down his cheeks, and Kenma sending them one of the fiercest glares they've ever seen.  Their eyes widened, gaping at the sight.  God, did they feel bad now.  Shouyou was their friend, and here they were having a screaming match in front of him.</p><p>"Shouyou...?"  Inuoka said cautiously, taking a few steps toward him.  Shouyou sniffled again, looking up to meet their eyes, and everybody's hearts broke.  Though they could officially say that he was still beautiful when he cried, they also had the misfortune of seeing him cry.  His eyes were pooled with emotions, and some teammates lowered their head in shame. </p><p>"I-I'm sorry...I didn't mean to make you guys fight...A-Are you guys mad at me?  I can l-leave if you want me to..."</p><p>"NO!"  The team cried out quickly.</p><p>"Sorry, chibi-chan.  We didn't mean to make you upset.  Lev's just an idiot."  He nodded, hearing a slight "Hey!" from behind him, but he didn't turn to look at him.  Instead, he and the rest of his teammates sent reassuring smiles to Hinata.</p><p>"Yeah!  We love having you here!"  Inuoka said, getting head nods or vocal agreement back.  Hinata sniffled, sending a bright smile to them as he wiped off his tears.  The team smiled back.  Leave it to Shouyou to be their guiding star.  Though sometimes, even guiding stars need a little help.  Which was fine with them.  As long as the sun kept shining, then everything was okay.</p><p>The moment was interrupted by Hinata's ringtone, once again going off.  He turned on his phone to find...<em>oh.</em></p><p>47 missed calls.</p><p>112 text messages.</p><p>Yeah, you could say he was screwed.</p><p>He looked toward the team for help, but they couldn't do anything but give him a solemn look.  Nervously, he slowly pressed accept, cautiously putting the phone against his ear and letting out a small greeting.  "...Hello?"</p><p>"SHOUYOU!  WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?!  WE'VE BEEN CALLING YOU FOR HOURS, DON'T YOU KNOW HOW WORRIED WE WERE?!  WHAT IF SOMETHING HAPPENED AGAIN?!"  He heard Sugawara yell at him, and he quickly pulled the phone away from his ear.  Holding it out from a safe distance, he could still hear his ranting.  He vaguely saw Kuroo mouth 'again?' and Lev looking on with symphony.  </p><p>Seeing the concerned looks from the team, he set it to speaker.  The team was immediately blasted with yelling from at least 4 people that glitched the speakers.  They groaned and covered their ears as Hinata frantically turned down the volume to a safer level.  The ranting on the other end continued as they managed to make out small phrases like "Dumbass" and "Shrimpy."  Nekoma frowned, did they really not have anything nice to say to him?  No 'I'm glad you're okay's' or 'How are you holding up'?  For how protective Karasuno thought, they honestly expected them to be more worried.  Instead, all they could decipher from their yelling were insults and angry shouts.</p><p>"Shut up."  Kenma said, making the other end fall silent.  The gym also fell silent, everybody looking to him with wide eyes, Shouyou having no small amount of confusion.  This seemed like normal behavior for him.</p><p>Kenma continued, "You aren't even going to ask if he's okay?  It isn't his fault he's here.  Stop blaming him."  Shouyou stared in astonishment.  He'd never really heard Kenma talk that much, especially for him.  Shuffling was heard on the other end, before a voice spoke out.</p><p>"He's right, we need to be worrying about Shouyou..."  A meek tone came out, who Hinata could identify as Asahi.  Some shifting was heard on the other end as murmurs were sent from Karasuno's teammates.</p><p>"Well, Shouyou...are you doing okay?  Did you stay the night somewhere?  Have you been eating properly?"  Suga started firing off questions again, though this time they were much better worded and truly showed how concerned he and everybody else were.  Hinata sent out a cheery smile, even though they couldn't see it over the phone, and simply started repeating yes as if this was a usual thing.  Honestly, it probably was.</p><p>"I'm okay!  I spent the night at Lev's, and we had a bunch of fun!  We made cookies, and played Mario Kart, and I got to sleep on an air mattress!"  He cheered, as Nekoma slowly felt themselves fade away from their common sense.  God, that smile was adorable.  Kuroo didn't find anybody particularly cute or charming, yet here Hinata was, taking that position and driving it through the roof.</p><p>A sigh of collective relief was heard on the other end, followed by Daichi speaking.  "We'll drop by to pick you up after school, do you think you can hold out until then?"  </p><p>"Where's he supposed to stay?  We have to attend our classes too, and it's not like Hinata can just magically be enrolled."  Inuoka said, making everybody once again return to silence.  Well, how <em>do</em> they get him back to Miyagi?  And what's he supposed to do during the day?</p><p>"Uhh...I can hold out, but what should I be doing?"  Hinata responded to Daichi, turning to Nekoma with confusion.</p><p>"I guess he could stay in the gym?  There's a vending machine nearby if you get hungry or anything."  Kuroo said shrugging.  Though they really didn't want to leave him alone, there wasn't much else they could do other than just sit and wait.  </p><p>"Well, I guess it'll work."  Ennoshita said, everybody else simply nodding.  With the warning bell ringing, the call was ended and everybody changed out of their sports attire and into their uniforms.  Before they left, Kenma pulled Shouyou aside.</p><p>"Take this so you can use the vending machine."  Kenma shoved a small pouch filled with yen into his hands, walking away before he could respond or decline it.  With the gym emptying out, Hinata skipped over to the volleyball court and start practicing.  It'd be a while before he'd see anybody again, but oh well!  Now was great time to work on his receives!</p>
<hr/><p>When Nekoma's classes had ended, they all filed to the gym to see Hinata still practicing his receives like he had when they left.  It'd been 5 hours, had he really not taken any breaks from volleyball?  About an hour after their practice had officially begun, a knock was heard on the door, alerting them of a new presence.  Sugawara walked in the door and simply waved, Hinata dashing over to him and jumping for a hug.  Sugawara, on reflex, caught him and returned his hug.</p><p>With many goodbyes and a quite a few new numbers in his phone, Hinata returned back to Miyagi.  It was quite a ride they'd experience, with tears shed and many hours of sleep wasted from <em>both</em> parties.  </p><p>Nekoma was still a little sad about not being able to keep Hinata, but just one look at them together made it obvious that Hinata truly was meant for Karasuno.  And that was okay, because even though he didn't belong to Nekoma, he always had a place on their team.</p><p>That doesn't mean Lev isn't dead for that stunt he pulled though.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>honestly was this intentional??? no not really, but oh well</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. homies we got bad news</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>uh oh</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>keep scrolling its almost here</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>guys im so sorry- ive been trying to write and i keep seeing people comment but ive kinda fallen out of the haikyuu fandom a bit.  i will be keeping my works up and i will be writing for other fandoms!  probably danganronpa?  maybe my hero academia, im not quite sure just yet.  thank you SO MUCH for all of the support and im terribly sorry to have cut off this series after so few chapters-  i want to thank everybody who's commented and those who have continued to read when i update. </p><p>i know i personally find it quite disappointing when i think an author has updated but its just an announcement, but i really didnt know how else to do this.  </p><p>thank you so much for everything, your support has really helped me out, and once again I apologize for leaving so soon.</p><p>best regards,</p><p>a disaster gay</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>im so sorry i keep seeing comments telling me to continue-</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Comment down your thoughts and feel free to leave requests!  This is my first time writing, soooo...enjoy!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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